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Maple Leafs: Tyler Bozak, Phil Kessel in crowded penthouse

The Leafs downed Carolina 5-2 Sunday night on home ice, just their second regulation win in the month of December. For a team that has been struggling with consistency, the chance to take down an opponent in the allotted time was refreshing. Now it’s on to the Winter Classic. They practise in Toronto Monday, then on to Ann Arbor, Mich., where the eyes of the hockey world will be upon them Jan. 1 at the NHL’s annual outdoor game. As for Sunday night, lots of candidates for the Leaf penthouse. The doghouse is a bit different:

Penthouse

Tyler Bozak: Three assists in his return from a 12-game absence (oblique/rib cage muscle strain). That was his seventh career three-point game.

Paul Ranger:Notched a goal, his second of the season, and had a huge night physically, levelling several Carolina players with big-time hits. Ranger now has 100 career points, but didn’t know it until his teammates mentioned it on the bench after his goal. Toronto defencemen have scored seven times in the last 12 games after just three goals in the first 29.

Cody Franson: Had a solid game physically as well and led all Leafs with five hits.

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David Clarkson: Left in the second period to receive stitches for a cut on his elbow. He came back in the third and, on his second shift, created the screen on Ranger’s goal, giving the Leafs a 4-2 lead.

Phil Kessel: Bagged a pair of goals, giving him 20 on the season. He now has six consecutive seasons of 20 or more. He was also reunited with Bozak. Kessel had three goals and seven assists in the 12 games Bozak missed, but was not the same player.

Doghouse

The Leafs, in general, were sloppy in the first and were probably fortunate to come away with a 1-0 lead. Coach Randy Carlyle said Carolina, like a lot of teams, has a blueprint for playing Toronto: reach the centre red line, then dump the puck in and make the Leafs play defence. The opposition defence pinches in, creating coverage problems for the Leafs, and chances surface after that. Toronto has been outplayed in the first period on numerous occasions over the past three weeks. The Leafs were also outshot 43-27, marking the 10th time they’ve given up 40 or more shots this season (in 41 games to date). Toronto is 5-3-2 in those games.

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